A woman from El Salvador describes the process in her A.C.L.U. lawsuit:

“I was given only five minutes to say goodbye. My babies started crying when they found out we were going to be separated. In tears myself, I asked my boys to be brave, and I promised we would be together soon. I begged the woman who took my children to keep them together so they could at least have each other.”

This mother ran from her country because she was assaulted by gang members, beaten in front of her children. She fled to save her family and herself from more terrible abuses.

Imagine being a parent that has to flee the only home you or your children have every known because the circumstances are so dire that you would risk the perilous journey across half a continent. Only to have your children dragged away screaming and crying once you finally reach your destination.

Trump and his detestable ICE agents are using the “zero tolerance” policy as justification for the practice of jailing parents and sending the children into foster homes for attempting to cross the border illegally. However, even when the parents are doing the right thing and presenting at a border crossing point asking for asylum, they are still given the same reprehensible treatment.

Mirian, a young mother from Honduras, is a prime example. “The immigration officers made me walk out with my son to a government vehicle and place my son in a car seat in the vehicle. My son was crying as I put him in the seat. I did not even have a chance to comfort my son, because the officers slammed the door shut as soon as he was in his seat.” Mirian’s son was 18-months old at the time.

If Trump wants to tighten the borders and reform immigration policy, fine. But stealing scared children from their parents and locking them up in a warehouse somewhere is not the answer. As Americans, we should be appalled at anyone being subjected to this kind of treatment, no matter their immigration status.